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Amazingly Versatile Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth & Giveaway

On Saturday, I wrote about the benefits of probiotics and how powerful they can be when included in your daily diet when introduced using kefir.

My focus today is diatomaceous earth.

I began researching with the idea that I’d write about ridding the body of BAD bugs: parasites, worms, and viruses – that kind of thing.

As it turns out, this will not be a strictly health related article. The more I read about diatomaceous earth, the more uses, benefits and testimonials I found citing it as an almost “miracle cure”.
I would normally think that must be a bunch of hooey…snake oil salesmen selling panacea to the desperate. But those words are not chosen lightly. If the claims are to be believed, this stuff is pretty amazing.

I did several hours of reading, and found on multiple sites and by scores of people, claims of all sorts of health benefits and wonders. It had me quite captivated.

As alluded to; this is not strictly used for human health, but has many, many uses. First, make sure to only buy food grade diatomaceous earth.

What is Diatomaceous Earth?

By the time diatomaceous earth is mined, it is over 1000 years old. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. This means 2 things right away. First, it is an all natural product; and second, the shelf life is going to be somewhere in the region of forever.

When you buy food grade diatomaceous earth, you get a fine white to off-white powder. Quality and effectiveness apparently varies from brand to brand, although with a shelf life of forever, I’m not sure why that would be, perhaps purity or humidity levels during storage(?).

Precautions and safety information when using DE

As with any fine particulate, avoid inhalation when dusting an area. Some people will tell you it is perfectly safe to inhale a bit. Toxicity-wise, this may be so; but diatomaceous earth will absorb 6 times its’ weight in moisture – I’m pretty sure I don’t want it in my lungs or eyes.

So if you use it to dust an area, protect yourself, your pets and your livestock. Wear a mask, gloves, and eye protection.

If using in a livestock area such as a chicken coop, dust area while chickens are out grazing if possible to give dust time to settle.
Do your own research and weigh the pros and cons for your situation, as some people do report issues with chickens breathing in dust or over consuming DE. Whether they used food grade or non-food grade is not stated in the comments I’ve read. But the majority swear by it as an all natural means of keeping down mites and other parasites, and eliminating excess moisture and odors in coops.

That being said, according to my own research, it is safe to ingest for pets, children and pregnant and nursing women in proper dosages.

What is diatomaceous earth used for?

DE can be used around the house to kill pests such as fleas, bedbugs, ants, earwigs, ticks and roaches.

In the garden, diatomaceous earth can be used as a soil conditioner. It holds 6 times its’ weight in moisture, but the water remains available to plants.

It will eliminate slugs and snails in your plants, as well as flies and fungi. Be wary; it will also kill beneficial insects such as ladybugs and bees. Be careful where it is used outdoors.

DE is used in animal quarters to eliminate pest issues, as a dietary aid to rid animals of parasites and provide trace minerals, and to keep odors to a minimum.

DE is also used in grain storage. By adding DE to live grains during storage, moisture is absorbed leaving the grains unharmed and pests such as weevils are destroyed.

Food Grade DE for human health:

First and foremost, my focus is on health benefits. Diatomaceous earth is used to rid the body of worms and other internal parasites. It may also help fight certain viruses from taking hold (more research is needed on this), and absorbs and eliminates heavy metals and toxins.

It will NOT, however, kill beneficial gut flora (probiotics).

DE is very useful in regulating digestion and elimination.

Many people report that after years of believing they had arthritis, the joint pain is gone after using DE. I also read testimonials of fast pain relief in general after taking diatomaceous earth.

DE is rich in silica and trace minerals; calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc are listed among them.

It strengthens teeth, bones, skin, nails and hair. I found numerous reports stating nails needed cutting every other day after use. Thinning hair regrew, stopped greying, and even reports of pigment returning to hair.

It can be used weekly as a toothpaste and has a whitening effect. It’s also used in DIY face masks, soaps and deodorants.

The recommended daily dosing instructions are to stir 1 tbsp. of DE into water, juice, a smoothie, or some other beverage each morning at least a half hour before eating, or each evening before bed. If you are fighting Candida, you may want to also add 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar as an added measure.

While the DE itself is said to have little to no flavor, ACV flavor is best masked in a lemonade if it doesn’t appeal to you.

Because of the way DE works, parasites will NOT develop resistance over time. DE essentially dehydrates them to death. This also indicates that the user should up their liquids intake to avoid potential intestinal issues (to speak politely:)).

So, after all this research, I personally will be ordering some diatomaceous earth for internal use and will update you all on any findings. I am quite interested in finding out for myself! I’ve had arthritis since childhood and am curious if it will have any effect on joint pain in particular.

Do you have experience using diatomaceous earth? I’d be interested in knowing how it worked for you in the comments!

Will you be trying diatomaceous earth? If you’d like to purchase food grade diatomaceous earth, you can find it at one of my affiliate partners listed below:

I heard about your giveaway through my Bloglovin’ weekly email ;) – and thanks for such an amazing contest – I’ve been wanting to try diatomaceous earth for a long time, only wasn’t sure which product was the safest!

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DISCLAIMER

Everything on this site is compiled from my research and experience. Do not substitute my judgement for your own.
With any new (to you) food or product, use your own judgement, listen to your body, and check with a doctor if necessary.